Josh & I received a juicer as an early Christmas present from Josh's parents. There are a lot of kinds of juicers out there, & after doing some research, we decided on the Omega J8006 because we wanted to be able to juice both vegetables and fruits, & wanted it to be easy to use & to clean. Why get a juicer at all, you ask? Josh & I watch a lot of food documentaries & have learned a lot about how we should eat to be healthy. It sounds simple, but really, who does it well? Josh & I do not take in enough, or enough of a variety, of fruits & vegetables. It's hard to do! A juicer makes it easy. You can make any combination you like - I'm currently drinking apple, carrot, celery, cucumber, spinach, & blackberries. The sweetness of the fruit is important. I'm certain I wouldn't drink it without!
Also, Elliot is a super picky eater. Unfortunately we can (very) rarely get him to try anything new, & what he chooses to eat is extremely limited. But throw some spinach, kale, or carrot in some juice & he'll drink it right up! This was a huge factor for us. We use healthy foods & vitamins to boost his immune system, & this helps with the healthy foods part.
I've already used it four times this week. Three times were some mixture of fruits & vegetables, & once we made orange juice. Yum! No more bottled stuff for us. It's really easy to use, & I'd even say fun! I feel healthier already. :)
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Advent
This year, we decided to start actively celebrating Advent during the four weeks leading up to Christmas to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus as a baby, & to also continue preparing our hearts for the coming of Jesus as triumphant King (see the book of Revelation for more - it's pretty awesome). We decided to follow a reading plan that uses the Jesus Storybook Bible. Each story points toward Jesus at the end, which is really great, especially for the Old Testament. Anyway, we've done a pretty sad job of it. Between being out late some nights & sometimes just plain forgetting, we're seriously batting... well, I don't understand batting averages, but it's low. But, I feel our hearts are in the right place, & we'll do better next year!
I have realized though that I need to do some purposeful praying to get my heart in the right place. Even though I'd like to think that celebrating Jesus & God's plan for the salvation of mankind is my main concern during this time of year, I've found that it's just not. I have layers of tradition & cultural concerns built up around my heart. No, certainly not every bit of it is "bad." But I'm not pleased with myself. I'm not entirely sure where to go from here. I don't think anything drastic needs to be done - I think I just need to pray, a lot. Knowing the condition of my heart & mind is the first step.
It has been fun this year to see Elliot experiencing everything Christmas. He didn't get a lick of it last year, but this year he gets really excited to see "more lights!" & snowmen & talks about "baby Jesus born." Josh will be off work for a week & a half, & I'm so looking forward to spending all of that time as a family. Plus, I just love having him home! I may need to do some heart exercising to get it in good spiritual condition, but I will indeed truly enjoy sitting in the living room, twinkle lights on the mantle & candle burning to give my house that "real tree" smell, thanking God for the best three men in my life. Nothing wrong with that.
I have realized though that I need to do some purposeful praying to get my heart in the right place. Even though I'd like to think that celebrating Jesus & God's plan for the salvation of mankind is my main concern during this time of year, I've found that it's just not. I have layers of tradition & cultural concerns built up around my heart. No, certainly not every bit of it is "bad." But I'm not pleased with myself. I'm not entirely sure where to go from here. I don't think anything drastic needs to be done - I think I just need to pray, a lot. Knowing the condition of my heart & mind is the first step.
It has been fun this year to see Elliot experiencing everything Christmas. He didn't get a lick of it last year, but this year he gets really excited to see "more lights!" & snowmen & talks about "baby Jesus born." Josh will be off work for a week & a half, & I'm so looking forward to spending all of that time as a family. Plus, I just love having him home! I may need to do some heart exercising to get it in good spiritual condition, but I will indeed truly enjoy sitting in the living room, twinkle lights on the mantle & candle burning to give my house that "real tree" smell, thanking God for the best three men in my life. Nothing wrong with that.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
A Fair Trade Christmas
For those of you who are not familiar with fair trade, here is the Wikipedia definition (in part):
Fair trade is an organized social movement that aims to help producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement known as fairtrade indicating the certification advocates the payment of a higher price to exporters as well as higher social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine,[1] fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers, and gold.[2] There are several recognized Fairtrade certifiers, including Fairtrade International (formerly called FLO/Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International), IMO and Eco-Social. Additionally, Fair Trade USA, formerly a licensing agency for the Fairtrade International label, broke from the system and is implementing its own fair trade labelling scheme, which has resulted in controversy due to its inclusion of independent smallholders (selling via contract production) and estates for all crops. (fairworldproject.org)
In the past few years, I have become more aware of how businesses work - the good, the bad, & the ugly. Unfortunately, when money is the number one priority, things like the welfare of employees & the health of consumers often go out the window. Many companies, when you trace back the products & the processes they use, either use child labor or forced labor. Prisoners in China (including Christians who are arrested for their beliefs) are forced to work in sweatshops to make things that we buy - that makes me sick to my stomach. I don't at all claim to live a life that is 100% fair trade. I'm just now even trying to be more aware of how I spend my money. So don't hear judgment from me. But it's something that needs considering.
I found some great websites & companies that are fair trade & have purchased many Christmas gifts through them this year. You can find delicious coffee, tea, & chocolate; beautiful jewelry handcrafted from renewable or even recycled materials, as well as other accessories like purses & scarves; home decor & collectibles; & more. Here are some of the websites I found -
Ten Thousand Villages - also has stores around the country, including in Austin
Trades of Hope
Trade as One
Sseko Designs - super cute sandals
Hannah James - really cute jewelry
Apparent Project - jewelry made in Haiti with recycled material
Sit a Spell - a blog written by a woman from our church in College Station, she lists lots of fair trade products
Rage Against the Minivan - another blog with lots of fair trade products
There is also a store here in San Antonio called All's Fair World Gifts. You should check it out!
Fair trade is an organized social movement that aims to help producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement known as fairtrade indicating the certification advocates the payment of a higher price to exporters as well as higher social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine,[1] fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers, and gold.[2] There are several recognized Fairtrade certifiers, including Fairtrade International (formerly called FLO/Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International), IMO and Eco-Social. Additionally, Fair Trade USA, formerly a licensing agency for the Fairtrade International label, broke from the system and is implementing its own fair trade labelling scheme, which has resulted in controversy due to its inclusion of independent smallholders (selling via contract production) and estates for all crops. (fairworldproject.org)
In the past few years, I have become more aware of how businesses work - the good, the bad, & the ugly. Unfortunately, when money is the number one priority, things like the welfare of employees & the health of consumers often go out the window. Many companies, when you trace back the products & the processes they use, either use child labor or forced labor. Prisoners in China (including Christians who are arrested for their beliefs) are forced to work in sweatshops to make things that we buy - that makes me sick to my stomach. I don't at all claim to live a life that is 100% fair trade. I'm just now even trying to be more aware of how I spend my money. So don't hear judgment from me. But it's something that needs considering.
I found some great websites & companies that are fair trade & have purchased many Christmas gifts through them this year. You can find delicious coffee, tea, & chocolate; beautiful jewelry handcrafted from renewable or even recycled materials, as well as other accessories like purses & scarves; home decor & collectibles; & more. Here are some of the websites I found -
Ten Thousand Villages - also has stores around the country, including in Austin
Trades of Hope
Trade as One
Sseko Designs - super cute sandals
Hannah James - really cute jewelry
Apparent Project - jewelry made in Haiti with recycled material
Sit a Spell - a blog written by a woman from our church in College Station, she lists lots of fair trade products
Rage Against the Minivan - another blog with lots of fair trade products
There is also a store here in San Antonio called All's Fair World Gifts. You should check it out!
Monday, November 5, 2012
All About Jack
We've had six weeks to start to get to know Jack. Here's what we know so far:
He is super snuggly. So far this is my favorite trait of his! I love to snuggle & neither of the other two men in my life like to (though the older one sometimes lets me). His favorite place to be is on someone's chest. I like to try to take a nap with him during Elliot's naptime. He cuddles up in the crook of my arm. He also ends up there sometimes during the night, if he's not sleeping well. He does well during the first part of the night, but sometimes around 4-5 he wakes up & won't stay asleep in his pack n play, so I put him in bed with me. I don't want that to last forever (we like our bed to be ours) but I am taking advantage of snuggling with my little newborn for now.
He is pretty vocal. For the first few weeks, that was exhibited in goat-like grunts & crying. If you move him, he'll let you know if he didn't really care for it. Now he makes some cuter cooing noises too. He may end up being our talkative little man.
He doesn't really care for the schedule. I'm pretty structured & Elliot really fell into that quick, eating every 3 hours on the dot, full feedings each time. Jack just isn't predictable. Sometimes he'll go longer than 3 hours, sometimes less, sometimes he just snacks, sometimes he's a leisurely eater. I never know what to expect from him.
He just started smiling last week & they quickly went from small smiles to huge, gummy grins that make his eyes squint. It's adorable! He seems SO happy when he does that.
Since he has had reflux (that we have under control due to my gluten free & dairy free diet) & lots of gas, he spent a lot of his first few weeks pretty uncomfortable. That interrupted his sleep & left him pretty fussy when he was awake. Now that he's feeling better & learning how to get the gas out himself (phew!) he spends more of his awake time content, which is great. I know he'll be much happier when he's a little older & can sit up.
Although he mixes it up often, I'm starting to learn how his day is scheduled. He'll eat sometime around 6:30, then go back to sleep for a bit, then eat 2-3 hours later. He'll be awake for about an hour, then back to sleep. & repeat. If he stays up much longer than an hour, he gets really fussy & it's hard to get him to sleep for a nap. If he doesn't nap well one day, he won't sleep well that night.
I still feel like we're in survival mode, but that we're getting a grasp on things somewhat. I am really exhausted at this point; I suppose the adrenaline leveled off & now I'm just running on broken sleep. I've heard with the second, it take about 3-4 months to feel like you really have things down, so we're about halfway there! Phew. He's a real cutie though & I am looking forward to watching him develop & learning more about his little personality.
He is super snuggly. So far this is my favorite trait of his! I love to snuggle & neither of the other two men in my life like to (though the older one sometimes lets me). His favorite place to be is on someone's chest. I like to try to take a nap with him during Elliot's naptime. He cuddles up in the crook of my arm. He also ends up there sometimes during the night, if he's not sleeping well. He does well during the first part of the night, but sometimes around 4-5 he wakes up & won't stay asleep in his pack n play, so I put him in bed with me. I don't want that to last forever (we like our bed to be ours) but I am taking advantage of snuggling with my little newborn for now.
He is pretty vocal. For the first few weeks, that was exhibited in goat-like grunts & crying. If you move him, he'll let you know if he didn't really care for it. Now he makes some cuter cooing noises too. He may end up being our talkative little man.
He doesn't really care for the schedule. I'm pretty structured & Elliot really fell into that quick, eating every 3 hours on the dot, full feedings each time. Jack just isn't predictable. Sometimes he'll go longer than 3 hours, sometimes less, sometimes he just snacks, sometimes he's a leisurely eater. I never know what to expect from him.
He just started smiling last week & they quickly went from small smiles to huge, gummy grins that make his eyes squint. It's adorable! He seems SO happy when he does that.
Since he has had reflux (that we have under control due to my gluten free & dairy free diet) & lots of gas, he spent a lot of his first few weeks pretty uncomfortable. That interrupted his sleep & left him pretty fussy when he was awake. Now that he's feeling better & learning how to get the gas out himself (phew!) he spends more of his awake time content, which is great. I know he'll be much happier when he's a little older & can sit up.
Although he mixes it up often, I'm starting to learn how his day is scheduled. He'll eat sometime around 6:30, then go back to sleep for a bit, then eat 2-3 hours later. He'll be awake for about an hour, then back to sleep. & repeat. If he stays up much longer than an hour, he gets really fussy & it's hard to get him to sleep for a nap. If he doesn't nap well one day, he won't sleep well that night.
I still feel like we're in survival mode, but that we're getting a grasp on things somewhat. I am really exhausted at this point; I suppose the adrenaline leveled off & now I'm just running on broken sleep. I've heard with the second, it take about 3-4 months to feel like you really have things down, so we're about halfway there! Phew. He's a real cutie though & I am looking forward to watching him develop & learning more about his little personality.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Bye bye bread! Bye bye cheese!
When Jack was about 3 weeks old, I decided to sit down & do some research regarding some strange signs he was exhibiting. I knew that the pain he was experiencing when he ate wasn't normal, as well as the wet sounding burps with no spit up. I discovered he had silent reflux, but I did not want to have him put on medicine. I read that almost all babies with reflux have an intolerance to something the mom is eating (or to their formula) so I decided to cut out dairy, which is the most common culprit. Three days later, he had a really bad day, & I realized I had eaten a lot of bread that day, so I cut out gluten as well (which is the second most common culprit). That removes a lot from your diet, folks! However, about 48 hours after removing gluten from my diet, he stopped showing signs of reflux & his demeanor continued to improve over the next few days. A lot of his gas went away as well. I'm really thankful to have found a natural way to make him feel better, even if it means giving up a LOT of delicious things!
I use almond milk in my cereal, & found coconut milk ice cream to be a good treat. There are a lot of gluten free products available, including sandwich bread, brownies, crackers, & more. You can tell they aren't the same as their gluten-filled counterparts, but it's easy to feel fulfilled & not deprived for the most part. I think the hardest part is eating out. Most of what is available at restaurants isn't something I can order, & it means not getting some yummy things that I used to get, like breakfast tacos or the occasional Krispy Kreme at MOPS (yummmm...). But I like being somewhat forced to eat healthier. Removing gluten almost guarantees healthier dinner recipes & snacks. My gluten-free granola has more nutritious grains, & dairy substitutes often have less calories. No more saucy casseroles, no fried stuff, etc.
Josh & I have slowly been refining the way we eat for a long time. Pregnancy always messes us up since I tend to eat a little more hormonally for nine months, but now we're getting back on track. As much as I don't think I would have ever chosen to do so voluntarily, I can now see going gluten-free as a lifestyle. I wouldn't mind using alternative milks long-term (I've never been a milk drinker anyhow), but I would like some cheese back in my life! (I plan on trying to eat some dairy in a couple of weeks to see if that affects Jack or not, since I'm not entirely sure it is necessary to remove from my diet like gluten is.) I'm certainly not suggesting that gluten is evil or that milk is bad, but it might be something we choose to limit, if not cut out of our diet long-term.
I am interested to see how I feel being gluten-free for a few weeks. I know a lot of people report feeling better not eating it. I'm sure part of it is that the diet removes a lot of the yucky stuff (like fried foods) which always makes me feel better! We also plan to eat less meat (& what we eat is organic, grass fed already) & more vegetables & snack on fruit instead of processed foods. You know, the obvious things - but aren't they so hard to actually do?? I don't mean to sound like we eat horribly. We don't. We eat a lot of organic & natural foods, no high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils, etc. But we definitely want to cut out most of our processed foods & eat more whole foods.
I'm also hoping this Jack-led-diet helps me lose the rest of the baby weight. Let's be real, that would be a great perk!! I lost a lot in the two weeks following Jack's birth, but still have some work to do. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to the gym in a couple of months when I'm more comfortable leaving Jack in childcare.
I use almond milk in my cereal, & found coconut milk ice cream to be a good treat. There are a lot of gluten free products available, including sandwich bread, brownies, crackers, & more. You can tell they aren't the same as their gluten-filled counterparts, but it's easy to feel fulfilled & not deprived for the most part. I think the hardest part is eating out. Most of what is available at restaurants isn't something I can order, & it means not getting some yummy things that I used to get, like breakfast tacos or the occasional Krispy Kreme at MOPS (yummmm...). But I like being somewhat forced to eat healthier. Removing gluten almost guarantees healthier dinner recipes & snacks. My gluten-free granola has more nutritious grains, & dairy substitutes often have less calories. No more saucy casseroles, no fried stuff, etc.
Josh & I have slowly been refining the way we eat for a long time. Pregnancy always messes us up since I tend to eat a little more hormonally for nine months, but now we're getting back on track. As much as I don't think I would have ever chosen to do so voluntarily, I can now see going gluten-free as a lifestyle. I wouldn't mind using alternative milks long-term (I've never been a milk drinker anyhow), but I would like some cheese back in my life! (I plan on trying to eat some dairy in a couple of weeks to see if that affects Jack or not, since I'm not entirely sure it is necessary to remove from my diet like gluten is.) I'm certainly not suggesting that gluten is evil or that milk is bad, but it might be something we choose to limit, if not cut out of our diet long-term.
I am interested to see how I feel being gluten-free for a few weeks. I know a lot of people report feeling better not eating it. I'm sure part of it is that the diet removes a lot of the yucky stuff (like fried foods) which always makes me feel better! We also plan to eat less meat (& what we eat is organic, grass fed already) & more vegetables & snack on fruit instead of processed foods. You know, the obvious things - but aren't they so hard to actually do?? I don't mean to sound like we eat horribly. We don't. We eat a lot of organic & natural foods, no high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils, etc. But we definitely want to cut out most of our processed foods & eat more whole foods.
I'm also hoping this Jack-led-diet helps me lose the rest of the baby weight. Let's be real, that would be a great perk!! I lost a lot in the two weeks following Jack's birth, but still have some work to do. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to the gym in a couple of months when I'm more comfortable leaving Jack in childcare.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Giving Up On Perfection
I got this in a MOPS email this week & really liked it, so I wanted to share.
Giving Up On Perfection
Once again I've stumbled across a blog that my friend LOVES, and it's all about a perfect family who look perfect, who are making their clean eating, sugar-free snacks (from scratch) as they do EVERY DAY, living on their pseudo-farm, where not only are they all hard workers, but their kids are all gifted. And there are plenty of Instagram photos to document all this perfect-ness.
It feels like a bunch of mini-Marthas trying to out-perfect each other, and I have to say it concerns me.
When all we are seeing is the perfect slice of a person's life, it can make us, the reader, a regular mom, feel like there is something wrong with us because WE aren't perfect. I live with daily evidence of my imperfection:
Let me see your dirty laundry.
Tell me about that cobbler that tasted like actual shoes.
Tell me about the time you messed up as a mom.
And let me know that you are being the best mom you can be, leaning on a community of moms, and asking for help and grace from others and God.
by Kathi Lipp, mom and stepmom of 4
I may have to give up reading blogs.Once again I've stumbled across a blog that my friend LOVES, and it's all about a perfect family who look perfect, who are making their clean eating, sugar-free snacks (from scratch) as they do EVERY DAY, living on their pseudo-farm, where not only are they all hard workers, but their kids are all gifted. And there are plenty of Instagram photos to document all this perfect-ness.
It feels like a bunch of mini-Marthas trying to out-perfect each other, and I have to say it concerns me.
"Here’s the thing:
WE are not designed to be perfect."
WE are not designed to be perfect."
- My kids talk back to me.
- No one ever offers to do chores.
- I’m happy if I get dinner on the table (even if part of it
came from a box). - I may have (just possibly) watched a little too much TV
last night. - My second child has exactly one page of her scrapbook
filled in.
Let me see your dirty laundry.
Tell me about that cobbler that tasted like actual shoes.
Tell me about the time you messed up as a mom.
And let me know that you are being the best mom you can be, leaning on a community of moms, and asking for help and grace from others and God.
God, help me to be the girl you created me to be – living loved. Help me to see others through your lens, not to compare myself to, but to learn to love.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Jack's Birth Story
A few notes: If you question whether or not you should read something that has the words "birth story" in the title, then you probably shouldn't, so stop now. :)
If you don't know how my labor with Elliot went, you might want to brief yourself for comparison.
While I was pregnant, I began to pray specific things for labor & delivery. I wanted a different experience this time - a better one. I prayed that my labor would start naturally, & that I wouldn't need pitocin. I prayed that my water would not break to start labor. & I prayed that I would be able to enjoy Jack as soon as he was born. I was so out of it when Elliot was born, & I didn't want that again. I had friends dedicated to praying for these things too.
So I was starting to wonder if I might be the first person alive to be pregnant forever. Yes, I know that seems extreme, but we just kept waiting! Elliot came on his due date, so we kind of expected Jack to come by then too.
Saturday the 22nd we had a busy day. That morning, we went to the farmer's market for a while (& saw one of our midwives while we were there, who was surprised I was still pregnant), then went to the birthday party of one of Elliot's friends at the park. That afternoon around 4, I started contracting. They weren't too bad though, & the timing was not consistent, so I wasn't sure if it was going to turn into labor or if they would peter out. Josh & I had a date planned for that night, so we went out to dinner (Chinese, yum), walked around Whole Foods, & got gelato. The contractions slowed down after dinner & were pretty spaced out after that. I went to bed easily that night.
I woke up at 2 a.m. with a hard contraction. Realizing I wouldn't be able to sleep, I took a shower, then went into the living room to work through them. I knew I was in labor at this point; the contractions were painful & I had to stop & try to relax through them (as the Bradley Method teaches). I watched several episodes of Say Yes to the Dress on Netflix, & around 5:45 I decided I probably needed to wake Josh up & get things ready so we could leave when I felt we needed to. As he was getting cleaned up & packing last minute items, the contractions moved from 5-8 minutes apart to 2-3 minutes apart. We called Tyler, my brother-in-law, who was on standby, to come over to stay with Elliot & we headed to the hospital. On the way there, we passed by one of our friends out for a run & told him we were going into the hospital. He committed to praying for us for the rest of his run & throughout the morning. His wife texted me to let me know she was praying too. A few other friends let us know they were praying for us. So encouraging - we are very blessed!
We got the hospital around 7 a.m. In triage, I found out I was 5-6 cm dilated, & 90% effaced. Awesome! I was so glad to have already done that much work. Over the next three or so hours, I labored mainly in the shower (which really helped my contractions) until I felt I was possibly heading into transition. I could tell based on the pain & my attitude that I was getting much closer to delivery. So we had my midwife Amy come check me, & she told me I was 6-7 cm. What?! After three hours, I had dilated one centimeter?? As much as I knew not to put much stock into that, I was pretty frustrated & the pain was getting worse. Amy suggested breaking my water, but I was totally against that plan. I knew the pain would get much worse then, & I didn't want that! So she & the nurse left the room, & I labored over the birth ball. During this time, I felt led to pray that transition would go quickly, & that I wouldn't push for more than ten minutes. I labored & prayed for 20 minutes before feeling like I needed to push. I told Josh & he got them to come back in. I was checked again, & was 8 cm. Over 2 cm in 20 minutes - definitely in transition! Amy told me that if we broke my water, I'd be pushing immediately. I said, "You promise?" She said yes. So they broke my water, & she said, "Okay, whenever you are ready, start pushing." At the next contraction, I pushed, but barely. Then I hesitated to do anything after that. Amy knew what happened with Elliot, & she told me I needed to really push, & I told her I didn't want to push for 2.5 hours again. She knew I had been thinking that, & promised that I could have him out in five pushes. So at the next contraction, I pushed hard, & at the reaction of Josh, Amy, & the nurse, I knew it had actually done something, so I continued to push through & he came out! Jack was born at 11:18 a.m. on the 23rd after about 9 hours of active labor, weighing 9 lbs 12 oz & 21'' long.
Every prayer of mine had been answered - I went into labor on my own, had no intervention, & they even had to break my water in order for me to start pushing. No labor contractions with my water broken! I was able to enjoy the moment Jack was born, which was wonderful & emotional. God answered my prayers during transition as well. Jack was born with less than ten minutes of pushing. I was truly amazed & so very thankful! Our friends were able to rejoice in the answered prayers as well.
Because my labor was so much better this time, I felt better post-partum & have healed much quicker. My emotions have been more in check (though not completely normal, of course!). Every aspect of labor & delivery & post-partum has been better this time around. Praise God! He didn't have to give me a better labor experience. But He did, & I am thankful!
If you don't know how my labor with Elliot went, you might want to brief yourself for comparison.
While I was pregnant, I began to pray specific things for labor & delivery. I wanted a different experience this time - a better one. I prayed that my labor would start naturally, & that I wouldn't need pitocin. I prayed that my water would not break to start labor. & I prayed that I would be able to enjoy Jack as soon as he was born. I was so out of it when Elliot was born, & I didn't want that again. I had friends dedicated to praying for these things too.
So I was starting to wonder if I might be the first person alive to be pregnant forever. Yes, I know that seems extreme, but we just kept waiting! Elliot came on his due date, so we kind of expected Jack to come by then too.
Saturday the 22nd we had a busy day. That morning, we went to the farmer's market for a while (& saw one of our midwives while we were there, who was surprised I was still pregnant), then went to the birthday party of one of Elliot's friends at the park. That afternoon around 4, I started contracting. They weren't too bad though, & the timing was not consistent, so I wasn't sure if it was going to turn into labor or if they would peter out. Josh & I had a date planned for that night, so we went out to dinner (Chinese, yum), walked around Whole Foods, & got gelato. The contractions slowed down after dinner & were pretty spaced out after that. I went to bed easily that night.
I woke up at 2 a.m. with a hard contraction. Realizing I wouldn't be able to sleep, I took a shower, then went into the living room to work through them. I knew I was in labor at this point; the contractions were painful & I had to stop & try to relax through them (as the Bradley Method teaches). I watched several episodes of Say Yes to the Dress on Netflix, & around 5:45 I decided I probably needed to wake Josh up & get things ready so we could leave when I felt we needed to. As he was getting cleaned up & packing last minute items, the contractions moved from 5-8 minutes apart to 2-3 minutes apart. We called Tyler, my brother-in-law, who was on standby, to come over to stay with Elliot & we headed to the hospital. On the way there, we passed by one of our friends out for a run & told him we were going into the hospital. He committed to praying for us for the rest of his run & throughout the morning. His wife texted me to let me know she was praying too. A few other friends let us know they were praying for us. So encouraging - we are very blessed!
We got the hospital around 7 a.m. In triage, I found out I was 5-6 cm dilated, & 90% effaced. Awesome! I was so glad to have already done that much work. Over the next three or so hours, I labored mainly in the shower (which really helped my contractions) until I felt I was possibly heading into transition. I could tell based on the pain & my attitude that I was getting much closer to delivery. So we had my midwife Amy come check me, & she told me I was 6-7 cm. What?! After three hours, I had dilated one centimeter?? As much as I knew not to put much stock into that, I was pretty frustrated & the pain was getting worse. Amy suggested breaking my water, but I was totally against that plan. I knew the pain would get much worse then, & I didn't want that! So she & the nurse left the room, & I labored over the birth ball. During this time, I felt led to pray that transition would go quickly, & that I wouldn't push for more than ten minutes. I labored & prayed for 20 minutes before feeling like I needed to push. I told Josh & he got them to come back in. I was checked again, & was 8 cm. Over 2 cm in 20 minutes - definitely in transition! Amy told me that if we broke my water, I'd be pushing immediately. I said, "You promise?" She said yes. So they broke my water, & she said, "Okay, whenever you are ready, start pushing." At the next contraction, I pushed, but barely. Then I hesitated to do anything after that. Amy knew what happened with Elliot, & she told me I needed to really push, & I told her I didn't want to push for 2.5 hours again. She knew I had been thinking that, & promised that I could have him out in five pushes. So at the next contraction, I pushed hard, & at the reaction of Josh, Amy, & the nurse, I knew it had actually done something, so I continued to push through & he came out! Jack was born at 11:18 a.m. on the 23rd after about 9 hours of active labor, weighing 9 lbs 12 oz & 21'' long.
Every prayer of mine had been answered - I went into labor on my own, had no intervention, & they even had to break my water in order for me to start pushing. No labor contractions with my water broken! I was able to enjoy the moment Jack was born, which was wonderful & emotional. God answered my prayers during transition as well. Jack was born with less than ten minutes of pushing. I was truly amazed & so very thankful! Our friends were able to rejoice in the answered prayers as well.
Because my labor was so much better this time, I felt better post-partum & have healed much quicker. My emotions have been more in check (though not completely normal, of course!). Every aspect of labor & delivery & post-partum has been better this time around. Praise God! He didn't have to give me a better labor experience. But He did, & I am thankful!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)